Vick reinjures himself as offense sputters in loss to Giants

For The Trentonian/ JOHN BLAINE
Giants kicker Josh Brown connects for his fourth field goal of the game. Brown booted five field goals, accounting for all 15 Giant points. Punter Steve Weatherford is the holder.

PHILADELPHIA – It took considerable effort but the Eagles found a new bottom in their 15-7 loss Sunday to the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field.

Only an alert special teams play by Najee Goode, who recovered a Giants fumble in the end zone enabled the Eagles to avert their first home shutout in eight years.

When the dust settled the Eagles were debating which hurt more – failing to score an offensive touchdown in consecutive games or setting the all-time club record with their 10th straight setback at home. It’s safe to assume everyone expected a lot more out of Chip “Up-tempo” Kelly.

“It’s tough, man,” wide receiver DeSean Jackson said. “We’ve got to figure something out. Hopefully we can get back to doing what we were doing earlier in the season. It’s on us. The defense did a great job. We’ve got to help those guys out.”

Advertisement

Tight end Brent Celek almost burst. Until this season the seven-year veteran always remembered when his team last won at home. The answer to that trivia question is Sept. 30th of 2012 … over the Giants.

“I’m about as angry as you can be after a game,” Celek said. “It’s embarrassing to have that happen. Ten straight losses at home? It’s embarrassing. The fans are (upset) and I am (upset) too.”

For the second straight week the Eagles reached a new low in total yards as the offense managed just 201. It seems like an eternity since Kelly’s guys put up 322 yards in just the first half of their opener.

Then again the Eagles (3-5) still are struggling at quarterback.

Starter Michael Vick and his ailing hamstring didn’t make it to the intermission, leaving overmatched rookie Matt Barkley to do the heavy work.

The outcome was inevitable. However, losing by a score of five field goals to one return touchdown leaves you wondering if the Eagles would have been better off prepping Vick and Barkley last week.

Kelly said he decided to start Vick after Friday’s practice. Kelly said he received input from Vick, who got the first-team snaps at practice, and the medical staff. Vick’s injury had a timetable of 10 to 14 days per Kelly.

“It was actually 21 days until we played,” Kelly said. “So he felt good about it. Our training staff and doctors felt good about it. We as a coaching staff didn’t see any effects in terms of him doing anything from a practice standpoint. We felt like he was going to be the No. 1 guy.”

Vick wasn’t nearly as convincing. He almost second-guessed his part in the decision.

“I really can’t say if I should or shouldn’t have played,” Vick said. “I took it upon myself to try to get ready this week to go out there and help this football team win.”

Vick is curious to see how badly he aggravated the injury that started off as a pull in the first game against the Giants when he undergoes a magnetic resonance imaging test Monday. He’ll have plenty to think about in the waiting room.

On the first of four series Sunday, Vick was intercepted by Antrel Rolle. The first of three Eagles turnovers set up the first of four Josh Brown field goals giving the Giants a 12-0 lead at the half. Brown had five field goals on the day tying the record set by Al Del Greco in 1990 for most by an Eagles opponent.

Trailing by a dozen points late in the second quarter, Barkley dinked and dunked the Eagles to the 2-yard line of the Giants. At that point his fear of turnovers set in. Barkley threw three picks in relief last week. Those giveaways weighed heavy in his mind.

On first-and-goal from the shotgun Barkley rolled to the left only to have the ball stripped away by Rolle.

“It looked too close to throw it to him,” Barkley said of Jackson, the intended receiver. “And then I was going through my second progression and I was about to throw it away and he just got there … a second too early.”

Why the Eagles didn’t run the ball more with Barkley playing is a question the rookie wouldn’t touch. The Eagles basically don’t have a short-yardage rushing game when they’re running the shotgun, which is a chunk of the game. Of course except for one series the run game failed. LeSean McCoy finished with 15 rushes for 48 yards on the afternoon.

The Eagles moved the ball well just once more the rest of the game. Instead of attempting a 48-yard field goal into the wind Kelly opted to throw on fourth-and-10 at the 32-yard line of the Giants. To no avail. Kelly said he feared the wind.

Meanwhile Eli Manning simply avoided turnovers and let his teammates do the heavy work as the Giants (2-6) won their second straight game to jump back into the NFC East race. The Dallas Cowboys (4-4) lead the circuit. The Washington Redskins (2-4) played at Denver Sunday night.

Even when Goode got into the end zone to cut the gap to 12-7 with 4:11 left the Eagles found a way to lose all of that momentum. Kelly ordered the onside kick the Giants recovered. The Eagles got just two more plays, the last when Will Hill intercepted Barkley.

Kelly wouldn’t reveal who would get the first-team snaps at practice Tuesday much less a starter for next week’s game at Oakland. But Kelly said Nick Foles (concussion) hasn’t been cleared to practice. An Eagles player suspects Foles might need more time.

If Vick felt a pop in the hamstring, even a great MRI won’t get him back any time soon. Which leaves Barkley to drive the bus.

“We’ll see how Mike bounces back,” Barkley said. “Hopefully he heals up. But I think it’s valuable just to be able to practice with those guys and see their timing and know their breaks in a full speed environment. To get reps in team periods and 7-on-7, I think, would be invaluable.”

Better than the alternative, which for the Eagles was ridiculous.

“Our defense and special teams are playing great,” Eagles guard Evan Mathis said. “It’s embarrassing now that we can’t put points on the board.”